An IT breach can make patients uncomfortable about sharing personal information, thus negatively affecting the provider’s reputation and bottom line. To prevent hackers from damaging data or stealing and holding it for ransom, providers must focus on implementing cyber security policies. These policies need to center around protecting patient information, which, in turn, creates trust in the provider and his practice. IT teams must create an infrastructure that allows for secure communications between telemedicine providers and their patients. This secure infrastructure must allow remote communication without reducing the amount of security that sensitive data receives. 

What do hackers do with the information?

Once hackers successfully steal sensitive data, they may use this data to blackmail a patient or a provider. Hackers know how to manipulate data. The success of the hacker undermines the reputation and competency of the healthcare provider and the clinic.